Kryptonite
by kamikazarii
Summary: The alternate universe in which Raito, owner of the Death Note and future god, finds a persocom lying about in the trash. Chobits crossover [AU] LightxL
1. In the rain

**Kryptonite**

Light did not like the rain. It poured down in heavy torrents, gushed over him in falls and cloudbursts of wetness. Then, a particularly leviathan of a drop splashed on to his head, matting his hair. Disgusting.

Ah well. It was not as if this day could get any worse, aside from the fact that his laptop had died, and as of now Light had run out of funds to buy a new one. Light reached for his umbrella, to which a particularly heavy man bumped smack into him, and the beloved parasol skidded into an alleyway filled with rotting rubbish.

And then Yagami Light saw it. A human silhouette was laying around, across a mound of strewn apple cores and old letters. Light walked up to it cautiously, and as his rationality dictated, proceeded to prod and wake the poor thing.

No response.

Light then decided to wake the person by throwing water on its face and speaking loudly to it, but in vain. He looked even more curiously at it, and was even slightly disturbed. Light was against drinking.

When the person didn't respond with Light's yelling, Light contemplated the situation. He was most likely dealing with a desceased, so when he whipped around to yell at someone near to call the police, he noticed some bizarre-looking appendages where the boy's ears should be.

They were squarish, like boxes, but with rounded edges, and with about two-thirds of them painted a metallic, glassy gold color that were seamlessly connected to the boy's head. They looked adorable, and with a plastic that comes from the joy of having a child's play things.

_"It was only one of those humanoid PCs. Persocoms?" _thought Light interestedly.

Light's boredom was ceased now. Persocoms were an exorbitant purchase, and supposedly the peak of technology in Japan.

Beautifully crafted, lightning-speed capabilities, unlimited space without the fault of being unstable, and an adaptability unmatched, they were something everyone desired.

Light carefully turned over the body, swathed only in strips of bleach, white cloth and looked into the persocom's face. Raven hair that felt as rough kitten fur, a delicately innocent face, yet it was decidedly masculine. His breath hitched.

Since a persocom was lying in the trash, that meant that it was technically free for the taking, so Light did what any sane man would. He took it home.

_A/N Please feed me by reading and reviewing! And I hope that I will get enough criticism and comments to continue._


	2. The look in your eyes

A few hours later, Light was nearing his home with the persocom bundled tightly in his arms. He couldn't carry the thing on to the train for fear that the other passengers would think that Light was some kind of _pervert_, so the only option was to walk, and hope that carrying something that looked  
akin to a corpse would be inconspicuous enough to merit _only_ strange looks bordering on quietly perturbed.

It was too blustery of a night to even be thinking about walking, the most tenacious of the last leaves giving a  
soft susurration as the wind spilled over them, desperately trying to pluck the last ones from the branch.

Raito reached his warm and oh so blessedly dry destination at last. Being very, very careful to mind the fluffy shock of ink for hair on the persocom, Light crept past Sayu watching television and their parents sleeping.  
He didn't want to share this secret with everybody else. In a sense, it was something special, that he alone should have.

After the monstrous task that anybody would have undoubtably collapse over, Light would have liked to go to sleep, but instead decided to start up his new PC.  
Patiently checking over almost every part of the surface area of the persocom, Light searched for the on switch.  
Raito looked into the hair, the neck, even between the fingers, but still no switch.

_ "Where is the switch!" _Light thought impatiently. It had better not have been thrown out because it was defected with no way to boot it. And then it occurred to Light that there was one place that he didnt even occur to check and he-

"NO way. I am not going to reach into his...its..._thing_, just to boot it."

Light's face was turning a delicate red. He wasn't a prude, but it somehow seemed very wrong to touch an inanimate object thinking like that. Obviously, it was not going to be a button to push.

_Its just a machine. There is no reason to...to think that its like doing IT._

Light was a little calmer. He would pull, or push whatever it was to boot it, quickly draw his hand away, and hope to whatever god that it wouldnt be like mistakenly groping a random girl consequently shrieking _"Pervert!"_

Hands hesitantly made their way over the white, starchy cloth to the division between the persocom's legs. Light quickly grasped the switch, yanked downwards and backed away, wondering if it would explode.

A cloudy bubble of light enveloped the persocom, a gentle effulgence slowly growing as a star pulsing. Light watched the persocoms eyelids slowly retract themselves unconcealed, electrons and sparks racing from one side to the other in an attempt to boot.

He saw those eyes- dark and prettily fathomless. Light gasped- cobalt met voids, and the last thing he saw before blissful sleep was those eyes launching themselves towards him.

_A/N Four reviews for the first chapter! Numa numa yay! This won't follow the storyline of Chobits (seeing as how I have never seen the entire series, but will do something completely different altogether._


	3. Tangled in the Sheets

_Restart_

It was an exceptionally beautiful morning; the suns blinding love speared through the blinds, and waves of grass danced enthusiastically in the wind. There was a heart-wrenching familiarity about waking up this way, sprawled into the sheets with comfort inevitably waiting.

The first thing Light saw through a pulsing headache and barely-mental coherency were two wide eyes staring point-blank into his. Light inhaled sharply and attempted to sink himself deeper into the cushions into which he had fallen asleep.

_"This situation must be approached casually. It is not as if it is a normal person, so it is best to simply tell it my name an--"_

"Eru!"

The persocom cut off Light's train of thought by chirping, "Eru!" again.

_"Wha- what?"_ Stunned by this sudden development, Light found himself at a loss for words. Were persocoms not supposed to wait until their owner had spoken first in order to process the information?

"Eru!" The persocom kept putting out this monosyllable- almost happily and yet so indifferently.

When Light didn't respond, the persocom simply wrapped its arms around itself in a sitting mockery of a fetal position and looked at Light, eyes rounded, rimmed richly black.

"Eru..". It said from on the edge of Light's bed.

Light he gestured to himself, "My name is Li-ght. Do you have a name?" gesturing to himself yet again.

The persocom looked at him with a curious expression, almost thinking, and putting its thumb fingernail in its mouth as if to think. Light raked a hand through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. At last, he remembered that persocoms had ears! The persocom sat in the strange fetal position, knees hugged tightly to its chest while Light poked around the hard plastic ears. He sighed with relief when he touched a button that opened the ears to reveal a cord that Light promptly hooked into his television.

"Boot up, print program data" Light hoped that these short, succinct commands would be recognized by the machine.

The television screen blinked and flashed silently, then finally, in green text appeared the words "NO DATA". That was rather strange.

"Can you bring up your information properties?" Also, the words, "NO DATA" appeared in the luminous text.

"...Rai...to..." The persocom rolled the words gently and thoughtfully in its mouth, and then pointed at Light. "Eru!"

_"Okay, that solves one problem."_

_"Sigh"  
_

Well, if you don't have a name, I guess Im calling you L since that's all you can say. Light patted the persocoms head. " I thought that I have gotten off easy by finding you, but I will still have to buy software." Light had a wistful look. "Maybe you're broken, and thats why you were lying there."

L's reaction to this comment was completely unexpected. His expression changed from passively thoughtful to tightly clenched in fear. L grasped Light's sleeve tightly. Taken off-guard, Light gently grasped the hands that gripped him.

"I won't throw you away! Don't worry. I need a persocom- I've always wanted one. We'll figure out how to make you work."

L smiled, a slight twitch of the lips, eyes shut, but Light still felt slightly lighter all the same.

Then Light realized that L had no clothes, and that he was only halfway dressed.

Light just managed to save himself from blushing, disentangled himself from his persocom, and went through his wardrobe.

All Light had was this old pair of jeans and a white sweatshirt. No socks or extra shoes. It was something only a slovenly punk would wear, but it would do for now.

He threw them at L and hoped that the persocom knew how to dress itself.

_A/N Fifteen reviews for two chapters. Kewl. That's theez. Anyway, the chapters will get longer gradually. And to answer questions, this fic will still have original plot points and things, such as Ryuk, apples, the deathnote, and Misa..._

_Damn it, I just dug my own grave, didn't I? Oh, and foreshadowing too. _


	4. Clear blue skies

"L?"

"L?!"

"L, are you following me?" Light whipped around, worried, to see L standing there, his back hunched forward in front of a bakery window, staring longingly at the cakes. Dazzlingly peony pink and sparkling with sugar, the cakes seemed to make L want to completely forgo this Matsuda-san and wherever Light worked.

"Let's go! Please!" He seemed almost desperate this time to get L away from the sweets.

"You look like you're having fun", a voice chuckled darkly from behind Light.

Ryuk suddenly popped out of nowhere, like a daisy. A very dark, scary daisy.

"Well, where have you been?" Light demanded, his tone cool.

"Oh, here and there," Ryuk grinned hideously. I just came back. "The humans I watched went to sleep. You don't seem to be missing me much, though." He gestured towards the still cake-enamored L.

"This should be fun! How will you keep your friend from knowing your secret?"

"It won't know, Ryuk. It's just a persocom," Light sighed.

Ryuk grinned, this time even wider showing all of his yellowed-parchment shinigami teeth in an even stranger smile. "I should follow this..."

_He's not telling me something. I should be able to figure this out, anyway..._

Light decided to let L ogle the pastries for a few more minutes, before, with a light sigh, waltzing into the shop and buying the gaudy, sugary, pink confection, complete with strawberries on top. Light hadn't the slightest idea as to why he did it, considering that persocoms couldn't eat, but the widening of L's large eyes somehow justified the purchase to him nonetheless.

"I can't say much for the look, Yagami-kun. What on earth possessed you to buy this model?"

Several attempts had been used to bring up L's data, all to no avail. Every time a new persocom was introduced to L and hooked up to him, their data would crash. L would then scramble back to his former fetal position. Bills were piling up madly.

Matsuda was gaping at L, smoothing his rough, cat-like strands of hair and peering into L's black-rimmed eyes. However, it was strange how he looked at L. It was as if there was something he wanted to say to Light, obscured by layers and layers of iron and steel; coldness blocking the his words.

Something in his eyes was hesitating.

"Where did you get...it?"

Matsuda's voice sounded slightly shaky, like glass crashing in a beach surrounded in waves.

It was all rather bizarre, Light decided. There seemed to be something that everyone knew except him. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to brush off the feeling in waves.

"What? I found it in the garbage."

Matsuda looked at him again, staring at him in a quietly aggressive way.

Yagami-kun, perhaps you should consider putting the persocom back where you found it... it could be riddled with viruses, or perhaps it's broken, possibly irreparable...

_Why does Matsuda-san suddenly want me to throw him away? He agreed over the telephone. No matter._

"It's perfectly fine with me, Matsuda-san. I don't mind it, as long as it functions and can remember small things."

A slight hesitation from Matsuda was visible again, before he finally he said, "If you insist on keeping it, please, don't let it come in contact with software. This persocom should be able to develop on its own and progress in memorization. When it's finished learning, you may then install its internet."

After Matsuda finished his manual examination with his own persocoms, silent looks and thanks were exchanged briefly before Light went back out to take L home. After all, his office to attempt catching himself was no place for a persocom.

Light took L by the hand. L was still attempting to put on the ratty tennis shoes that Light found. He looked towards the crystalline, sapphire sky, cake in one hand and L's hand in the other.

Light let out an breath of contentment. Today would be a good day.


	5. Vibrant Colors

Light looked down at the hunched over form of L, seemingly frightened of the traffic and the hustle of Tokyo around them.

"I guess you really are broken, huh? Not even Matsuda-san can fix you."

L stiffened and turned from the display of pink and brown and sparkling confectionaries to look at Light, mouth slightly turned up in a nervous smile.

He opened his mouth as if to say something and then,

"Light-kun! Ne, Light-kun, why are you so early for our date?" Misa bounded cheerfully up to the pair. Black ribbons, frill, and lace cascaded and slid down her curves, filling out and emphasizing the angles airily and elegantly.

Misas perfectly mannequin-made faces smiled happily at Light.

_"Shoot_," Light thought. Now he had even less time to use his new persocom.

Light opened his mouth, but Misa interrupted again, her vibrantly-colored voice even clear through the crowd, "Who's your friend? Misa-misa didn't forget a double date, right?!"

Light sighed.

"Of course not, Misa,"Light said patiently, "This is my new persocom."

Misa leaned in to examine every part of L's face and said uncharacteristically carefully, "Well, Misa is happy that it;s not a girl persocom, but how come you chose this one?"

Said persocom shrank slightly sideways, his obsidian optics obscuring his's nervousness.

"Hey! Let's go to a coffee shop that just opened! It sells the best tiramisu cake and tea. And then maybe we can exchange stuff on your persocom," Misa exclaimed, her voice bubbling over like sweet soda.

And Misa was right. The shop was quite exquisite. The windows and booths glittered diamonds in the sun, and attractive red ribbons bedecked every table. A gentle breeze blew from an open window, spreading the delicately sugary smell of chocolate and cinnamon.

They sat in comfortable chairs in a red and white booth decorated with plastic cherries. Light explained the situation with L, and then Misa prompted him to connect L to her laptop persocom, Mizu.

"Don't you think it looks just like me?"

And it did. Mizu's pigtails, dress, even Misa's large eyes were copies on the doll.

"Mizu-mizu is currently connecting! Please wait for the server to begin fully processing!"

"The mini-Misa danced around in a perfect mimicry of the real Misa while it booted up. Misa opened L's ears, pulling out yards of wire and connected it to Mizu. Misu perched on L's shoulder, grinning happily like the real Misa. All of a sudden, Mizu's eyes went completely blank and started dancing wildy and screaming in the shop in a high-squeal, "Error! Error! No data to show! Firewall completely unpenetrable!" and died.

"Mizu!" Misa cried as her beloved mini's eyes fried. It was even possible to see smoke wafting out of the mini's ears.

"Your persocom's data really is there," Misa said slowly, her head still bowed over the loss, pigtails drooping.

"Misa...why.."

"Light.." Misa looked up at him sadly, "Misa thinks that Light should throw away L. L should go back to where he came from." She looked at L, who was fascinated by the cupcakes on display.

This was very out of character for Misa, for he had never genuinely seen her serious. However, Light decided that the best path to take was to respond in a sincere way.

"Misa, if its about Mizu, I can replace her, its really not too much trouble for the one I love."

"Light-kun, you say such nice things!" Misa immediately reverted back to her bubbly attitude, traces of seriousness gone. "Ne, let's go to a park later today in an hour?- the snow looks so pretty. We should take _it _back to your home; I want this to be just you and me!"

L watched as Misa walked off in a rhythmic bounce, leaving only him and Light.

x

x

xx

_xxx_

_A/N Posting another chap. tomorrow. Sorry for the procrastination._


	6. In the snow

The hustle and bustle of the citizens of Tokyo was the same as it ever was; the honk of the cars and the rhythm of the shoes of the people pounding into the pavement with a clicking-clacking sound was familiar.

Light clutched onto his jacket for warmth. The crisp slices of wind were turning fitful, hissing at his jacket. Where the beautiful warmth of Wednesdays weather had gone, he had no idea.

It had been a strange day so far. For some reason, not even Matsuda would not give him an answer as to the origin of L, but no matter. He would be able to drag the answers out of Misa, he thought assuredly.

In the end, Light had decided to leave L home with the cake. Misa seemed slightly avoidant of the persocom in question, and he hoped to find out why soon.

"Light! I'm over here!" Misa waved energetically through the crowd in the park, her golden pigtails swaying in unison.

Light raised a hand in salutation and walked through the park to join his girlfriend.

"Hello, Misa."

The blonde lolita dashed forward to hug Light in a crushing embrace.

"Misa-misa is glad to see Light-kun! The snow is always pretty at this time of day. Why don't we go for a walk?"

Light agreed, eager to interrogate Misa. "Ne, do you..."

"Light."

Misa cut him off, the edges of her lips twitching. "So," she continued, looking down so that her bangs obscured her eyes, "what does Light think of persocoms?"

Light stared at her in shock, wondering what had prompted this question, "Well, they're just machines, aren't they? They look like humans, but thats not really what they are, right?"

Misa then smiled fully, showing off her pearly teeth. "Misa-misa is so happy to hear Light say that! Its just a machine! She shook her head, making her tresses shiver. An arm clung to Light's own, and Misas boots left tiny imprints in the milky-white snow."

"Misa, do you like L?"

He stopped in his tracks, effectively halting Misa as well.

"Misa likes L. But Misa does think that..." Misa said hesitatingly, "Misa thinks that one day L will become more important than Misa to Light-kun. So please, don't like L more than Misa-chan. Misa loves Light! And it's more than a machine will ever do."

Misa buried her head in the thick cloth of Light's shoulder, hiding her expression in the blue, denim folds.

Light was at a loss what to say next. Instead, he simply held her limp form. Eventually, the two had to part as Misa had an interview for a magazine in a few minutes and couldnt bear to compare the two.

When Light headed back to his home, something struck him as vaguely odd. Misa had never been so exceptional at dodging his questions before; it was as if she had been trained to answer the specific questions that he was sure to ask.

Light arrived home, tired and cold, and came home to the sight of L entangled in his sheets, a mirror image of this morning. L slept in the same fetal position that he stood in, the sweater riding up to expose creamy, peach flesh and his index finger touching the fullest part of the lip, eyes half-lidded.

Somehow, Light felt that his curiosity would have overtaken him and he would have shaken a normal person until they fully looked woken, but this time..

Light padded over to the bed and sat down near where Ls weight pressed into the mattress. He tentatively threaded his hand through Ls black, messy hair. There was a growing, fluttering ache in his chest, and Raito touched it, wondering why.

* * *

_(A/N) For those that really want to know, I'm not going to follow the Chobits storyline. It's a crossover, not a fusion. So there will be Chobits elements, obviously, and possibly even Chobits themes, but this is my story._

_Also, if anybody likes this story enough, I want a beta. Not just for mechanics, but for plot, etc. That's a good deal, right? You'll get to see the story before it even comes out. oo  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Light had forgotten to explain the function of sleep to L, so L watched the moonlight play over Light's face, looking at the angular chin and the hard lines around his eyes. He watched Light until the dawn, and when Light went back to the police station to continue the game with Kira, L watched him go, feeling a strange sense of loneliness.

L was watching Ryuk juggle and crunch apples, when the light that flashed ruby red on the apple made something click in his mind.

Suddenly, L felt a sudden desire to go see what he looked like, so he padded over to the mirror in the bathroom. The lights flickered for a moment, but in that bolt of shadow, he thought he had a glimpse of someone other than himself in the cold, silver surface.

Raven hair that stuck out messily from every angle, pale, milky skin, a lanky torso and arms that were awkward for his body- it occurred to him that he should know this person, that this person was somehow very important. His dark eyes widened as he looked closer to the mirror, and as the tip of his nose touched his reflection's, a violet light flickered through his eyes and his face slackened. When he opened his eyes, the persocom found himself in a void of empty space, the silence deafening, and the bathroom completely gone.

"L…."

L jumped at the sound of his name. "Somebody called L. Who?" he asked, squinting through the darkness.

"It was me."

L expected Light's face to be there when he turned, but he found himself looking at his own face. His eyes widening, L tentatively reached out a hand to touch his reflection, to see if it was real. However, he met an unseen barrier, an invisible wall of which his hand scrunched against.

"I called you. I _am_ you, and you are me."

"How I never see you?" L asked, feeling uncomfortable at his confusion.

The other L grimly chuckled. "We are one and the same. I am inside your heart." With those last words, the other L reached through the barrier and pressed his palm against L's chest. "You don't remember me, but I used to be you." His tone became serious. "You weren't supposed to come back here; this only had an 8.57 probability."

L didn't understand what was going on, and he froze at the contact of his other self against his skin. He could feel the coldness of the other's hand through the fabric of his shirt.

"How this real?" L asked, slightly perturbed.

_L_'s tone became slightly grim. "It is all too real. I will come back when the time has come." The darkness faded away in shreds of light, and L was left staring at his reflection, just as before.

He could still feel the ghost of /L/'s cold breath on his cheeks, the touch of his pallid, icy hands on L's shoulder. He shuddered and sat down, drawing his knees up to his chest. There was something that L felt that he should not forget, the tugging feeling in his chest made sure of that. That other him reminded him that there was something very important about this situation, this Light that went far beyond repair. But what was it?

Ryuk grinned to himself; he had known that this would be fun, for he was the one who had brought L into the trash in the neighborhood.

* * *

"_I wanted Light to find L here, but I never thought that it would really be him! This started as such a fun game of how I could bring back L."_ Ryuk thought. 

"Matsuda-san, can I talk to you for a moment?" Misa's cherry-lipstick red lips formed a pout.

"Eh? Uh...uh sure Misa-san! No problem!" Matsuda dropped the stack of papers that he had been carrying. It surprised him so much that such a cute girl like Misa-san was even talking to him, that he quickly forgot what he was doing.

"It's a problem with Light, you see," Misa's eyelashes lowered demurely as she continued.

"It's just that Light's been so cold to me lately, so would you...?" Matsuda didn't even hear the rest of his sentence, for his thoughts were racing madly. His face flushed bright pink at the thought of Misa wanting him.

"_What does Misa-san want from me?"_

"_Is she going to ask me to be there for her instead of Light?!"_

To Misa, Matsuda looked very unresponsive and almost ready to die from heat exhaustion, so Misa waved her manicured hand in front of Matsuda's face.

"Matsuda-san? Matsuda-san? Are you hearing me?"

By then, Matsuda had regained full consciousness and was staring at Misa blankly.

"Eh?"

Misa huffed. "I said that Light was being so cold to me lately." And then her face and even her pigtails seemed to droop. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You know, don't you? That Light...he found /L/. We're going to move in together soon. It's been delayed because of the case for a long time, now, but I..." Misa's face suddenly turned angry, and a little sad, "L had done too much to take my Light away from me! I can't let him do that again!"

Matsuda's grin slipped. "I know that, Misa-san," he murmured. "But I didn't know what to do! The whole police force decided to erase Light's memory, so that he wouldn't have to go through that kind of trauma anymore after the real L's death. If Light just sees L as another persocom, everything should be okay, right? L's face, hair, and body type are too generic- they look like a lot of people! There's no way that his memory could possibly be jogged again."

Misa glared sullenly at her shoes for a while, "I guess it's up to me- I'll prove that real people are better than persocoms."

Matsuda patted her on the shoulder. "Light loves you, Misa-san. I don't think he would ever give you up for anything."

Misa smiled happily, almost showing white teeth.

"I know."

When Matsuda stayed at the Yagami household, Light had to hide L upstairs in the closet. He couldn't risk his family seeing a persocom that may accidentally store information on the Kira case, and then let it out. However, Light went home very satisfied. The new age of Kira had finally begun. He knew that it had been gaining momentum with the deaths being reported on Tokyo news, but when France announced their support for Kira, and following that, Germany, Russia, and the rest of Europe, Light knew that he had won. Lips quirked upward in a grim smirk.

"Light-kun, what are you smiling about?" Misa giggled, "Are you thinking about something funny?"Sayu had just come in to announce her presence.

Light put on his most smooth tone of voice and loving smile and said, "I was thinking just how glad I am to get to more in with you!"

"That's right, big brother!" Sayu cheered, smiling. "You guys should stop being single and just get married."

"But you know what Light says, Sayu-chan?" Misa's lips split into a wide grin as she took Light's arm in hers and hugged it tightly, "An actress, like Misa Amane who has worldwide success ahead shouldn't burden herself with commitment and marriage! At least Light-kun wants to move in with me and live together-we'll be a happy couple!"

"Well..." Light tried to interject, not wanting Misa to make him look overly sentimental.

Ryuk almost burst in laughter at this. Light being sentimental? To Misa, of all people? Ha!

The ringing of a phone call interrupted this happy banter. Soichiro Yagami picked up the phone with a happy voice, but that happiness quickly turned into panic when he shouted, "Abducted?!"

Soichiro's eyes turned wild as he quickly shot the words out at the family, "Matsuda, Light, come with me." He whirled around, grabbing his coat. Misa and Sachiko looked on in worry.

Mello chuckled, biting off a chunk of a chocolate bar. "Our next target is Yagami Sayu! We're going to have our L, one way or the other."

While Soichiro was trying to dial, a voice came on the other end. It was gentle and held the croon of a mother singing softly to her child, but the words made the words sound as harsh and raspy as a killer's. "We'll only exchange Sayu Yagami, if you give us what we want."

Soichiro rasped into the phone, "Yes, yes- what do you want? It doesn't matter- money, protection, what?"

The womanly voice chuckled softly, making the hairs stand out on Soichiro's neck.

"We want the persocom. We want the persocom called "LAL""

Soichiro almost choked. "L" died years ago," he was suddenly angry, "Is this just a sick joke to insult the memory of our most beloved detectives?"

"It seems to me that you don't understand the situation. We have been carefully tracking evidence of this persocom "LAL", and it appears that you are keeping him."

"...therefore, you have one month to get him to us. If you are not keeping him, then we expect the persocom to be found and brought to us."

"Will you at least keep her safe?" Soichiro asked worriedly. L's face was pale and had a look of shock and worry.

"Oho now, we can't have the hostage die on us, can we? In any case, since this is about a police officer, it won't leak,and our promise not to kill her will hold true. However, if you do let out that the kidnappers are after this persocom, then the girl will surely die."

The police staff looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

"Alright, alright," the voice chuckled, "I'll send another message to your e-mail account." The image that came on was a fog of grey and static, but Sayu's terror was clearly visible. The kidnappers had bound and gagged her, leaving her eyes impossibly wide.

There was a crackle of static, and the connection was shut off.

"Um...it seems that this is out of our tracing range," one of the detectives mumbled ashamedly, putting the headphones down.

Light interrupted the long silence. "The tv show that was in the background is airing over there at this time. They purposely put it there so that we would know she's okay."

Soichiro's eyes burned with emotion at the thought of his daughter's safety. "I'll make sure she's okay!" he shouted.

"Okay everybody, as both the director of the NPA and Sayu's father, I'm going to search for this "persocom LAL" and bring it to L.A.!" The force looked at him in shock, and Light, faced with a dilemma, was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure if this "LAL" had any connection to his persocom, "L", but since "LAL" was also a model number, there were only a few in a million chances that it could be his. On the other hand...

"Ahem," Light cleared his throat. "Since the kidnapper obviously shows interest in this "LAL", perhaps the persocom has an actual connection to the Kira case, since my father had mentioned a detective." Aizawa, Matsuda, and Soichiro exchanged glances.

"We should begin a search for this "LAL", maybe asking which persocoms had been walking around here just recently and tracking down their IP addresses.

Soichiro regarded his son silently for a few minutes, and then sighed. "Let's get on it, men."

L wondered what was going on down the stairs that was getting everyone in a commotion. This scene sounded quite familiar, but he was unable to place the voices.

When Light came into the room late into the night, L was waiting for him, sitting on the bed, knees drawn to his chest. He was poking at the pink cake with a pen that Ryuk had happily given him earlier.

Light couldn't stand to see the pen that he exerted his godly powers on covered with icing, so he took the pen from L. He didn't particularly care for sweets, but to show L how to properly not destroy a perfectly good pen, he scooped a small lump of rose-colored frosting and put it into his mouth. "You don't poke cakes, you eat them. See? Eat."

L chirped after him. "See? Eat." L awkwardly moved his hands into the icing, four fingers into the cake and tried to bring it to his mouth as quickly as Light had, and it splattered all over his mouth, looking like victim of a bubble gum burst attack.

Light couldn't help but smile at the sight. "No, not like that. He wiped off L's mouth with a handkerchief, noticing that L's lips turned bright pink, just like the frosting when L's lips twitched in a semblance of an awkward smile.

L was going to shove another glob of cake on his face, when Light took the hand that held the confection. Light wasn't sure if L had any connection to this "LAL" persocom, but he couldn't take any chances by hiding him here. L's face looked like many other faces, the only remarkable characteristics being his wild hair, pale skin, and the dark shadows under his eyes.

No, the best way to hide him would probably be to disguise him and place him right in front of their noses, and that way, the answer would be so obvious that they would never find it.

"Would you like to have a job?" Light inquired pleasantly.

"A job?" L looked at him with all the curiosity and knowledge of a fluffy kitty.

"It's a place where you can go instead of being here all the time. They will give you things that you can trade for stuff that you want."

"L wants to be with Light."

"..." Something about L saying this struck a profound chord. It didn't seem to mean very much, since L had grown to waiting for Light everyday.

"I will come back for you. I promise. But just to make sure, I should probably go and run a diagnostics test on you to see if there are any tracking mechanisms and if you're going around without a firewall."

L's eyes lowered, the dark lashes making a stark contrast against his skin.

* * *

_TBC..._

_And no, Light isn't going to let his sister die just so he won't have to give up L. Though, I really wouldn't put it past him if it helped him become God... _


End file.
